Tottenham headed into Christmas with three consecutive wins, but their victory against Everton was hard-fought. Spurs took a 2-0 lead within the first 18 minutes through goals from Richarlison and Heung-min Son.
However, Everton, in good form with four consecutive Premier League wins, showcased their resilience and grew into the contest throughout the first half under the management of Sean Dyche.
Despite Tottenham’s early lead, Everton’s threat remained persistent, and Ange Postecoglou may be concerned about the amount of possession his side conceded to Everton in the second half.
Andre Gomes’s brilliant strike added tension to the match with eight minutes to go, and ultimately, Tottenham’s goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, played a crucial role in securing the victory by tipping Arnaut Danjuma’s fierce late drive over the crossbar.
While Pape Matar Sarr and Oliver Skipp, starting his second Premier League game of the season due to Yves Bissouma’s suspension, won the ball back for Spurs multiple times, the issue was the frequency with which they subsequently lost possession, allowing Everton to improve as the game progressed.
Despite Everton’s possession and attacks, Tottenham demonstrated their proficiency in carrying a threat through counter-attacking play. They had an opportunity to make it 3-0 when Dejan Kulusevski broke away, but Jordan Pickford made an excellent save to tip the ball around the post.
With Gomes’ excellent strike making it an edgy end to the game, in stoppage time, Arnaut Danjuma came incredibly close to scoring the equaliser as he crashed a volley off the crossbar, and the ball bounced down on the goal-line. Goal-line technology showed that most of the ball was over the line, but Guglielmo Vicario’s knee kept it out, denying Everton the equaliser.
Spurs are next in action down on the South Coast when they entertain Brighton and Hove Albion on December 28th.